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Man arraigned for East Palo Alto shootings

Both shootings took place at Light Tree Apartments

An East Palo Alto man faces felony charges for two shootings at an apartment complex, one of which turned fatal, in 2015. Image courtesy PhotoSpin.

A 31-year-old man who fatally shot another man in East Palo Alto after an argument over a woman in July 2015 was arraigned Thursday, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.

Freeman Owens III, is accused of killing 27-year-old Mark Anthony Jack on July 18, 2015, after an argument in an East Palo Alto apartment building. Owens was also charged for shooting another man's legs on April 25, 2015, prosecutors said.

Owens, an East Palo Alto resident, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of murder, being a convict in possession of a narcotic drug or firearm, attempted murder and assault with a firearm, prosecutors said.

The fatal shooting happened in July 2015 outside of the Light Tree Apartments at 1805 E. Bayshore Road around 10:10 p.m., police said at the time. Jack was found on the apartment complex's lawn and transported to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Owens and Jack were speaking outside the apartment complex and the conversation escalated into an argument over a woman, which led Owens to shoot Jack six times, the District Attorney's Office said.

Owens then left the scene. Investigators have yet to find the firearm used in the shooting, prosecutors said.

The April 2015 shooting also happened at the apartment complex, where Owens was allegedly playing cards and got into an argument with another man whom he shot twice, once in each leg, before fleeing, prosecutors said.

The injured man was transported to a hospital for treatment and survived his injuries, according to prosecutors.

Owens remains in custody on $25 million bail, according to the District Attorney's Office. He's scheduled to return to court on Sept. 7.